(a) The Governing Body of the City of Topeka, Kansas, hereby authorizes the combination of the City’s water and water pollution control utility and the City’s stormwater utility into a single utility to be known as the water, water pollution control, and stormwater utility of the City of Topeka, Kansas.

(b) The City Manager is hereby authorized to take such further actions as may be necessary to effectuate the creation of such water, water pollution control, and stormwater utility herein authorized and the Mayor and City Clerk are hereby authorized to execute any and all documents necessary to effectuate such purpose.

(c) The utility rates provided in this article for the water, water pollution control, and stormwater utility shall be set by the Governing Body to provide for the payment of the costs of operating and maintaining the water, water pollution control, and stormwater utility and paying the principal of and interest on all bonds and other obligations of the water, water pollution control, and stormwater utility in order that such utility rates of the Water Division, Water Pollution Control Division, and/or Stormwater Division of the water, water pollution control, and stormwater utility not be set or otherwise established so that the utility rates of one such division subsidize the other.

(d) The revenues of the water, water pollution control, and stormwater utility are hereby pledged to the payment of any revenue bonds or other obligations issued or incurred by the City in connection with the City’s water, water pollution control, and stormwater utility.

(e) The Utilities Director shall establish a central utility billing office, administered by the Utilities Department, for billing and collecting all utility charges imposed by the combined water, water pollution control, and stormwater utility of the City of Topeka, Kansas. Furthermore, the City may contract with other local public utilities to provide such entities with billing and collection services. (Ord. 20089 § 1, 10-17-17.)